How You Can Stop the Leakage Overactive bladder (OAB) refers to symptoms rather than a disease. It is used to describe the phenomenon of people experiencing urinary issues. Some products that help include Comfort Medical and PureWick. Treatments for an Overactive Bladder Treatments will vary depending on what exactly is wrong. Most cases of OAB do not require invasive intervention. Some of the most common treatments recommended are: Lifestyle changes: Introducing some exercise routines in your life can help strengthen muscles. Plus, it can fight obesity, which can help reduce the chances of suffering from OAB. Some experts recommend that you try to put your bladder on a schedule. By training your bladder to know what you can and cannot do, you can shape your behavior. Some also recommend “bladder training,” where you try to delay urination when you feel the urge to grow in increasing durations to strengthen your ability to “hold it”. Using protective, absorbent padding can be a last resort if you cannot adjust your behavior. This will allow you to avoid embarrassing accidents. Medication: Some prescription medications can be sued to help strengthen areas of the body or “relax” your bladder. Some common medications include: tolterodine, darifenacin, fesoterodine and mirabegron. Botox: Botox does not just flatten our wrinkles. Small injections of Botox into bladder tissue can offer temporary relief from bladder problems. It sometimes has the side effects of increased UITs and urinary retention. Nerve stimulation: Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation has also been shown to help with OAB. It works by sending electrical signals from a nerve in your leg to nerves connected with bladder control. Surgery: For those suffering from severe symptoms, surgery is the last option. It can involve increasing the size of the bladder or replacing the bladder with a surgically constructed replacement. Comfort Medical vs. PureWick Comfort Medical provides catheters inserted into the urethra to manage urinary incontinence internally, whereas PureWick offers an external catheter solution using an absorbent wick for non-invasive urine collection. Getting a Diagnosis Anyone can suffer from OAB. Unfortunately, many adults are too embarrassed to ask for help or do not realize their conditions are treatable. Roughly 30% of men and 40% of women in the U.S. suffer from overactive bladder symptoms. While no one is immune to these problems, there are some conditions that increase your chances of suffering from OAB. These can include: Brain damage Hormonal changes Pelvic muscle weakness Urinary tract infections (UTI) Taking certain medications Stoke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions impacting the central nervous system (CNS) Signs and Symptoms of OAB Some people fail to realize that their bathroom habits are not normal. Familiarizing yourself with the symptoms can allow you to better recognize the signs of OAB which will get you one step closer to treatment. Those suffering from an overactive bladder may experience the following: Urgency: OAB’s main symptom is that sufferers experience strong, sudden urges of needing to go to the bathroom. Typically, the need to go to the bathroom will build up over time. While it is easy to ignore these feelings until you have to go, when all you feel is a sudden urge to go immediately or risk having an accident, there may be something wrong. Leaking: Suffering from something called “urge incontinence” is rather common when you suffer from an overactive bladder. It means that sometimes during these sudden urges, you will leak a little urine. You must distinguish it from people suffering from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Rather than leak during an episode of sudden urges, those suffering from SUI leak during physical activities which would strain the region including sneezing, laughing or stretching. Frequent urination: Frequently needing to use the bathroom is not always a sign that you drank too much. If you constantly need to go to the bathroom a lot throughout the day (especially to the point where it begins to interfere with your daily life), you may be suffering from OAB. Waking up to pee: The same can be said for those who have to wake up to go to the bathroom. A fully functioning bladder is normally able to hold urine while someone is sleeping. If you frequently have to get up during the night because you need to use the bathroom, you should talk to your doctor about OAB. [youmaylike] Causes of an Overactive Bladder Because OAB is not one disease, but rather an umbrella term to characterize specific urinary symptoms, physicians will need to investigate the underlying cause of your problems. The origin of problems usually arises from areas in the urinary tract itself. Areas of the body likely responsible for an overactive bladder include the following: Kidneys. Bladder. Ureters. Urethra. Sphincter muscle. In Conclusion Talk to a trained physician if you believe you or a loved one may be suffering from an overactive bladder. They will be able to offer expert advice on how to handle your case. This is not the same as someone who suffers from an inability to control their bladder from emptying on its own.
Natural and Medicinal Indigestion Remedies
Having an upset stomach can really impede your daily life. While indigestion is nothing to worry about most of the time, it is a good idea to seek treatment, so you can get back to your life and get relief from the pain and discomfort. Learning about indigestion remedies can help you understand how to treat — and avoid — this very common event.
What is Indigestion?
Indigestion is an umbrella term that refers to pain or discomfort coming from your upper abdomen. Sometimes called dyspepsia, indigestion is a symptom description rather than a name for a medical condition. It’s something that many people regularly encounter — some more than others.
Depending on your indigestion’s underlying cause, you will experience the symptoms a little different from others. Common symptoms classified as indigestion include:
- Feeling prematurely full
- Feeling uncomfortably full
- Discomfort, pain, or a burning sensation in the upper abdomen
- Bloating
- Nausea or vomiting
Heartburn has high comorbidity with indigestion, although these are two different conditions.
What Causes Indigestion?
Many different circumstances and conditions cause indigestion. Often, indigestion is simply caused by dietary habits or anxiety. Overeating, eating too quickly, or ingesting too many fatty, greasy, spicy, caffeinated, or chocolate foods may also be blamed. Certain medications can also increase the chances of experiencing mild indigestion.
In cases where indigestion is consistent and cannot be explained by lifestyle habits or medication, a health condition may be responsible. Common health conditions resulting in indigestion include (but are not limited to) ulcers, gallstones, constipation, pancreatitis, cancer, stomach inflammation (gastritis), celiac disease, or intestinal ischemia. Although most cases of indigestion are nothing to worry about, some of these underlying conditions are serious and should be discussed with your physician.
Indigestion Treatments and Remedies
While you can always discuss any medical concerns with your primary care physician, there are a few simple things to try to alleviate indigestion at home.
Doctors advise you to start by making lifestyle changes. Avoiding foods that serve as triggers to indigestion is a crucial step to take. This means reducing spicy and fatty foods correlated with digestive problems. Eliminating alcoholic drinks and caffeinated things like coffee or chocolate is also a step in the right direction.
Some individuals try changing their meals. Instead of having the traditional three large meals a day, those suffering from indigestion opt to break the same amount of food down into five or six different meals. Taking additional measures to reduce stress and anxiety can also help alleviate the discomfort and distress.
If you believe it is a side effect of medication, try to substitute the medication you are using. Certain pain relievers, such as Advil and Motrin, are known for instigating an upset stomach. Your doctor can help you find something that works.
There are several different over-the-counter medications you can try to get symptom relief. If the problems persist, a doctor can help develop a treatment plan that includes prescription medications that may directly or indirectly treat symptoms. Such medications include:
- Proton pump inhibitors: PPIs may help reduce stomach acid that contributes to indigestion. It also helps treat other symptoms that may coexist with indigestion, such as heartburn.
- H2 blockers (H2RAs): This medication may help reduce excessive stomach acid that may instigate indigestion.
- Antibiotics: Some indigestion is the result of bacteria in the stomach. Doctors may recommend antibiotics to help with this.
- Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication: If your symptoms are the result of uncontrollable stress, antidepressants may help reduce the discomfort from indigestion.
When to See a Doctor
Occasional indigestion is perfectly normal in everyday life. In most cases, indigestion does not warrant a visit to the doctor. If symptoms persist for more than two weeks, a doctor’s visit is recommended. As symptoms may be a sign of a more serious, underlying health condition, it’s important to talk to your doctor whenever you have any questions or concerns.
Seeing a physician is especially important if you experience indigestion with any of the following symptoms:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Repeated vomiting
- Black stool
- Problems swallowing
Seek immediate medical attention if you have:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath, sweating, or chest pain radiating to the jaw, neck, or arm
Remember, your doctor is there to help you. They are trained medical professionals that can offer expert advice and give you the treatment you need.